Heavy As A Feather
by MarvellousFaery
Summary: "Things will never go according to plan, no matter how much you prepare. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. Because if you don't then planets and civilizations will fall. But I would bet all my money that you can save the universe from destruction." But to do that she needed to get her shit together first.
1. Chapter 1

_**Unknown planet**_

Blood.

So much blood.

It was the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes, it flooded her surroundings.

As she regained feelings in her limbs and began to sit up, her consciousness finally cleared and shock took hold of her; she couldn't help but notice all the dead bodies around her.

_It was horrifying._

Houses were on fire; men, women and children screaming in agony, as their bodies burned with the flames and as holes perforated their forms. The barely recognisable corpses had their eyes gaping wide open in terror as if they had seen the devil himself before they died.

Death was everywhere.

'_How am I alive?_'

She couldn't just sit here helpless, crawling at the centre of rotting bodies, waiting for that..._that monster_ to come. Getting up was not an easy task though. A large gash ran down the left side of her body, right from her shoulder blades all the way down to her left hip that kept her from moving too fast, or at all, as a matter of fact. Yet, she had to push through the pain, and once she was on her feet she moved slowly using any cover she could find to hide herself.

She started to make her way towards the heart of the city where she remembered the battle taking place before she blacked out. Slowly but surely she made it to the square and saw... all the more destruction everywhere. Bodies, blood, debris...

She couldn't hide herself in a place that bared it all, in a square that had no covers; the little nine year old girl knew she'd be at risk.

_But_ _I have to find my parents_. _I can't do this alone, please be safe, please, please._

That was when she saw her... Eyes open, staring up the sky... motionless and dull...

"_Mom!"_ the girl screamed, but she was gone, she knew even before she reached her but she couldn't help but shake her, to beg her to wake up. And when she wouldn't, tears started to stream down her face. As though a dam had been ripped opened, letting rivers flow forth.

Of course she wouldn't. She was dead and nothing could be done about it...

What she could do was to find her dad. _Please, be okay, I need you._

The ground beneath her mother was drenched with her blood, seeping into her daughter's clothes but the girl couldn't care. She quickly noticed how her mom's wounds were different than that of other people's. She didn't have a hole piercing through her body, instead her neck had been snapped. It was so obvious now when she looked closely.

Her head was twisted at an awkward angle and when she squinted further, there was so much blood... _He _didn't even try to make it a clean snap, it was almost like he was aiming for beheading he-

_No, now is not the time to think of that!_

Leaving her mom there felt like such an impossible thing to do, but she would have told her to go if she could. So she reached forward, closed her eyes and whispered in their mother tongue;

"_I'm sorry, I love you."_

The girl left to find her father, barely holding in her sobs.

The cuts on her back were slowly healing and walking towards the very centre of the square miraculously got easier with each step. The pain from the slash distracted her from the pain in her heart. She couldn't help but thank her mother's side of the family for this healing ability.

Uncle Namor always said her people had the advantage over normal humans.

It took a while before she managed to get anywhere near her destination. It felt like hours had flown by but she knew it must have been a mere couple of minutes. Passing by countless dead bodies, the images etching deep in her mind, she knew she would have nightmares, but this reality already felt like one. So many good soldiers died to protect their home and their people. So many _innocent people _dying for no reason. So much death, all because of a mad man.

Maniacal laughter was the first thing the girl heard as she reached her destination. It sent a shiver down her spine but she couldn't stop now, she was so close to her dad. So she kept going, keeping her eye out for anything and anyone. The laughter stopped and she noticed a figure in the distance moving away towards the building where this planet's leader was hiding. She was ready to run in the other direction with the thought of fear coursing through her veins_,_ but she froze when she saw the body on the ground where that monster was just standing. She swallowed the scream that was threatening to burst out. If she didn't, she would die.

_Hold it together Amelia._

She stood frozen in place until _that man_ entered the building and quickly ran towards her dad. Tears clouded her vision, all she could see was her father's body on the ground, not moving. Kneeling down, she started to shake him but kept her eyes on the leader's building.

"Daddy, daddy please don't be dead, please be alive— please, please, plea-!" she was cut off by a hand landing on her head and her neck whipped around so fast, she could have gotten whiplash.

"Hey baby, everything is fine, you're going to be okay," warm chocolate-brown eyes that mirrored her own stared at her sadly and she couldn't keep the sobs from bursting out. Warmth enveloped her as her father's strong arm hugged her to his chest.

"Hey baby, we don't have much time so listen closely. Alright?" she nodded in response but didn't let go of her father's uniform. She could feel the heaviness in his chest as he took a deep breath for whatever he was planning to say. The dread bubbling up in her stomach told her _something wasn't right_.

"I'm dying."

And with that one short sentence she felt her whole world collapse, something within her tearing her apart.

_He's not, he can't be, and he's __sitting__ right there!_

She couldn't lose them both, not now, not ever.

"I may be dying but you're not. You can survive this and get home safe. I need to you to be safe baby. I couldn't live with myself if you died here with both your mother and I."

_He knows? _

"Daddy I don't wanna leave you. I can't, I don't wanna be alone or without you. Mommy's gone, I can't lose you too!" she couldn't help the near hysterical tone she used but her father shushed her reassuringly and tightened his one-armed hold on her.

"I know it's scary and I know you feel so much pain, but honey, you have a whole life ahead of you and your mother and I only ever wanted you to be hap-"

"I can't be happy without you!" she cut him off. She was still a child and couldn't imagine a world without her parents by her side, guiding her and loving her.

"Yes, you can and you will. The pain of losing us may never go away but it'll get easier to live with."

She whimpered in response.

_No, please I can't do this alone__!_

"You won't be alone in this. I'm going to transfer all my powers to you so you can get out of here safely. With it, I'm transferring Worldmind to you. He'll help you get out of here safely and he'll help you with your powers. _Just trust him and you'll be fine._" He explained but it was so rushed and quiet, she barely understood.

_Worldmind? Isn't that the voice in daddy's head?_

"Why can't you take us both out of here? Why do I need to leave you?!" she fought back.

With a tired sigh, her father let go of her to lift up his shirt to show a very ugly wound. It was terrible and grey, dark veins surrounding it as blood, black as the night sky,gushed out. Revulsion stirred her stomach, as the ghastly sight nearly had her vomiting.

Her eyes widened in horror. _There was a weapon that can pierce his skin._

"I've been poisoned, I don't have much time. Let me do this. Let me save you so I can die, happy knowing you'll be safe._"_ For the first time, she had seen tears in her father's eyes.

They were both crying by the end and she reluctantly nodded in agreement. No matter what she wanted, she knew the only thing that she could do was to make her dad happy in his last moments.

He brought his head down until both of their foreheads were touching and she felt a tingling sensation spread from her head all the way down to her toes. At first it felt warm but it slowly started to feel overwhelming and she wanted to scream as pain erupted throughout over her body.

But it came to a sudden halt as a voice _in her head_ spoke.

"**Don't worry little one, I'll manage the power until we start your training. Let me take you home."**

The voice was reassuring in a weird way that made her relax. She felt her wound from earlier close up completely, almost instantaneously.

She heard screaming behind her and she _knew _that meant _he _killed his targets... and that she didn't have much time left with her dad. They locked eyes for what they knew was the last time but neither of them were crying anymore. She drank in the sight of him, and he of her, as they quietly said their goodbyes. Before she let Worldmind take her away, they hugged once more and her father whispered something important in her ear.

He kissed her temple just as a man suddenly started running towards them. He was coming after her, she had something he desperately wanted but before he knew it—

Worldmind was faster and he quickly took over her body so he could _get her away _from his grasp.

Power surged from inside of her like lightning striking the ground and it felt amazing. So much power at the tip of her fingers as she felt her legs pushing her away from the ground, and before she knew it...

_I was flying_.

She heard howling of angry cusses distantly behind her but she was moving so fast that she was already in space before she could even register that _he_ let out that scream. Everything was moving so fast but she knew she could go even faster if she wanted to. She felt it in her bones.

'_So, why wasn't I?'_

"**Because if we went any faster any planet near us would explode. Be prepared because we'll be entering hyperspace now. You'll be home soon."**

It was with a loud bang that her body surged forward before she could even respond to Worldmind. She noticed the odd... _doorway? __Portal?_ It must have been how they entered hyperspace. They weren't in it long, it was all a blur of colours, much like a rainbow.

Before she knew it, they exited hyperspace and she saw the Moon and Earth in front of her. Her chest tightened, with love and pain grappling at it.

_I was home but now, I was utterly alone__._

Worldmind slowed them down considerably and they were gliding down towards her Uncle Robbie's house. Lucky enough for her, it was night time so no one was awake to see a bright yellow figure flying down. She felt the exhaustion get to her as her bones gave out, everything was happening far too fast for her mind to comprehend and for her body to adjust to this new power.

_The Nova Force._

She didn't quite understand how she knew what this power was called.

She regained the control of her limbs as Worldmind let go of it and the nine-year-old started moving towards the door of the very familiar house. She was too short to reach the doorbell, leaving her to knock on the doorframe.

It was only just yesterday that she remembered laughter and complaints, jokes and whining about how she could never reach the doorbell, with Uncle Robbie always saying it wasn't too high, she was simply just too short. However, everything seemed so distant now. Memories upon memories, light years away from her grasp.

"**Don't knock too hard or you'll break the door, little one."**

Oh great, now she had to be careful about even the most mundane things.

She heard footsteps reach the door and as soon as the door opened, she looked into the warm blue eyes of her uncle. He looked shocked for a moment but he quickly took in the blood, the hollow look in her eyes and her torn clothes, and he_ knew_. She felt his strong arms wrap around her and she couldn't hold it in any longer.

Everything ended with Uncle Robbie carrying her into the house as she sobbed uncontrollably, tiring herself to sleep before they could even reach the bed.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Queens, New York City, Earth, The Milky Way Galaxy, Star System Sol**_

_**June 20th, 1999**_

It had been a few weeks since she became an orphan.

Luckily her uncle Robbie was more than happy to take over as her guardian. It took a while to adjust to the change, for both of them, but her father's brother clearly never regretted it. He loved her a lot and tried his best to help her any way he could. He even took a vacation to just spend time with her.

_Which is huge considering how much of a workaholic he is._

Uncle Namor came to visit as soon as Robbie called and told him the news. He stayed with them for a week but then duty called and he had to go back to running his kingdom. He invited them both to come and visit whenever they wanted. Which was nice, but Amelia wasn't ready to interact with anyone other than her family right now. Unfortunately her godbrother wasn't in the US so she couldn't see him until he came back.

Worldmind was also slowly sneaking his way to the _family category_. She wasn't quite sure she liked that.

Speaking of which, it reminded her, the voice in her head was_… just mean_.

Once all the... _excitement _was over, he properly introduced himself.

_The Xandarian Worldmind, a sentient supercomputer who holds the data of experiences, histories and personalities of dead Nova Corp members as well as the general populace of Xandar._

Now that longwinded introduction would have been funny to her any other time, seeing that he was being so _smug_ about it, but she hardly laughed at all since coming back to her home planet.

_Also why would a supercomputer have the personalities of dead people in his data?_

Apparently she was too young to know that.

Anyway…

Uncle Robbie had to go back to work soon and he didn't want to leave her alone or with a babysitter. When she asked why she couldn't have a babysitter, he started ranting about not trusting unknown people with his _adorable little niece_ _who had superpowers she couldn't control yet._

Which was something that kept her mind preoccupied when she didn't want to wallow in misery.

Worldmind helped where he could but he still couldn't train her completely because he didn't have a body. Luckily she managed to learn how not to crush her uncle's own when she hugged them, or how _not_ to destroy the furniture.

It was a start.

It was summer and school was out but her uncle had already prepared the necessary paperwork for her to enrol to the local elementary school. Which was going to be a whole new experience that she _wasn't_ looking forward to.

Not to mention the fact that she needed a therapist according to him, in fact, Robbie was already making arrangements for her to see someone who was a friend of her dad's. _How many friends did he have? How many did mom have? Would they come visit once they find out they died? Do they care at all?_

When Robbie finished his phone call and told her they _would_ be going to meet someone that can help her the next day, it sparked questions about who this person was. They were sitting in the living room when he told her about their upcoming visit.

Some bald guy named Charles was all she managed to understand from her uncle's explanation.

"Don't call him bald guy Charles, Amelia."

"What about mister bald guy Charles?"

"No," the exaggerated outraged and _clearly_ offended expression on his face made her start giggling before erupting in another fit of laughter that had her rolling off the couch. Completely missing the shocked but happy expression on the man's face at hearing her laughter.

The living room was pretty spacious. Warm beige walls with a fireplace against one wall, the couch and armchairs in front of it and a big TV sitting comfortably across them. To the left of the couch was a large window letting in as much sunlight as it could, and across the window was the open doorway that led to the kitchen and dining room. Images of her family hung in elegant frames on the fireplace and the walls. It felt warm and... almost like home. Her late grandparents bought and decorated this house when her dad was a little kid and before her uncle was even born. The bedrooms were on the second floor while the basement was used for her uncle's experiments.

She wasn't allowed down there and to be frank she didn't want to go down there either after witnessing her uncle running up in a hurry, frantically searching the kitchen for a fire extinguisher that wasn't melted, so he could use before he burned the house to the ground.

Again.

It was a shame, seeing that he _had already destroyed_ the other extinguisher he had down in the basement.

Tomorrow she would meet this bald guy who would supposedly help her but until then she would just sit there in the living room, flipping through channels upon channels before settling on watching Scooby Doo while her uncle returned to his work, drawing up something in his notebook.

It was...relaxing.

* * *

_**June 21**__**th**__**, 1999**_

_They drove up to a huge mansion._

It was magnificent, the opulence it exuded was enough to have her jaw drop. After being let in through the gates, Robbie parked his car in front of the entrance, where a man in a wheelchair was waiting for them.

When they got out of the car and walked up to him, she couldn't help but notice the kind smile he had on his face.

"Hello, I'm Professor Charles Xavier. You must be Amelia Rider."

* * *

Note: Because Amelia has a supercomputer in her mind now, she'll be more advanced than normal children. So take that into account reading this chapter.

I'd also like everyone that has reviewed, favourited and followed this story.


	3. Chapter 3

_**June 21**__**th**__**, 1999**_

_**Salem Center, North Salem, New York State, Earth, The Milky Way Galaxy, Star System Sol**_

"_Hello, I am Professor Charles Xavier," _he spoke gently, a strange familiarity resonating in the smile he wore,_ "You must be Amelia Rider."_

She stared at the bald man sitting before her, for a moment she had found her mind wandering, losing her train of thought, but it was long enough for her uncle to nudge her and shoot her a look that clearly said _introduce yourself_.

She took a deep breath, trying to gather the courage but and with some hesitance, she finally introduced herself in a quiet voice.

"Hi, I'm Amelia. It's nice to meet you," she quickly averted her gaze towards the open doors of the mansion. Her almond shaped eyes could make out the entrance of a long hallway, wooden walls and decorative pillars lined the corridor, large framed paintings hung with opulence, perfectly matching the hue of the red carpet covering the floor. Before she could even observe more, she was pulled out of her reverie when her uncle Robbie spoke up.

"Thank you for seeing us professor. I'm sure you have a lot to do-" the words barely made it out of his mouth before Robbie was cut off by The Professor.

"My students are currently on a summer break and all the professors except one have left on vacation. I have nothing to do and it is my pleasure to help you and Miss Amelia," he said with a warm smile and for some reason, it made her relax. She hadn't noticed that she had been tense, however, it was not much of a surprise. Despite this man being a supposed friend of her father's, she couldn't trust him so easily. Her family were already burned once and it made her an orphan, she was not going to let history repeat itself. Some mistakes should never be repeated.

Xavier looked at her with understanding blue eyes that made her think twice about the privacy of her own thoughts, it was as though she had uttered them out loud.

"I believe we should take this conversation to my office. We have a lot to discuss," and with that, he turned his wheelchair around and the two Riders followed him inside. Now that she was inside this grand mansion_, _she could see the various canvases and ornaments on the walls. Although it was a huge place, somehow it radiated the same warmth that man exuded. You could see it from the scratches, doodles and stickers scribbled across the halls. She wondered if the students loved it here.

Then again-

_Why were they here? How could this man help me?_

And why was a blue man heading towards them?

It didn't take long for him to reach the group of three, who were now standing in front of giant mahogany double doors- it appeared that they led to Professor Xavier's office. When he was close enough for her to distinguish, she quickly noticed that he had blue fur and not blue skin, with claws for nails and fangs for teeth. The epitome of a monster, if there has ever been one. His hair was a slightly darker shade of blue and was styled to look like he had two spikes. It looked really soft to the touch and the young girl _really_ wanted to touch it. Her own brown hair wasn't soft and it was mostly due to all the split ends; she had refused to go to a hairdresser no matter how many times her uncle has prodded her about going.

Her mom usually cuts her hair when it got too lo-

"Ah, I apologise for my lateness. My name is Doctor Hank McCoy, I am one of the professors at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. You must be Robert and Amelia Rider," he extended a hand towards Robbie and then knelt down to Amelia's height to shake her hand with a fierce smile. His voice boomed down the corridor, it almost caught her by surprise. The little girl's eyes widened at his large frame, even when he squatted down to reach her, yet she didn't hesitate to shake his hands. They were humungous compared to hers, but were just as friendly as his smile and it caused her to look shyly away from his gaze.

You would think she would be scared of a blue haired beast of a man but in actuality, she was far from it. In her short life, all nine years of them, she had met loads of different -ooking beings. Pink skin, blue skin, green hair, yellow fur...

Even she was among them, as she had gills behind her slightly pointy ears, hidden by her hair. It was a gift from her Atlantean ancestors, their blood coursing through her veins. Her mom and uncle Namor had pointed ears and gills, as well as small vestigial feathered wings on their ankles; as do a large number of other Atlanteans. Unfortunately- or fortunately according to Worldmind, the wings missed a generation with the brown haired girl, probably because of her human blood.

_Thanks dad, ugh._

She shuddered at the thought, she often wondered what it would be like to have feathers sprouting out of her back, much like a bird.

"Hank will join us for this meeting if that's alright with both of you?" Charles's asked both of them and they both shook their heads that they didn't mind.

The office was beautiful. There was a large desk with various trinkets and papers, broad shelves on which sat books of various sizes and colours, and two plush comfortable looking chairs in front of the desk. While Robbie took a seat on the left, Amelia sat in the right one and she noticed that her observation was correct and _it was a really comfortable chair._ Her mind was oddly focused on the strangest wheeled himself behind the desk and Hank stood to his right.

"Shall we begin then? Mister Rider you asked for my help with Amelia and while I'm flattered, I'm sure there are other just as good psychologists that could help," the bald professor stated while turning his attention to her uncle.

_So that was why we were here. Why him, though? Uncle wouldn't trust just anyone to help me because of my powers._

Professor Xavier's head turned to Amelia in slight surprise, although imperceptible to an average human, she was able to see it. Which in turn caused her to stare at him in confusion. Turning towards her uncle, the young brunette kept quiet and just tilted her head in question.

"Professor Xavier here has powers. In fact this entire school is for gifted people with powers," with a sigh her uncle answered her.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier but I didn't want you to be scared when we came here."

While hurt, she understood he was only trying to protect her. She had been jumpy for weeks and hesitated at doing anything outside of the house.

"I am a mutant and I have the power of telepathy, which gives me the ability to read minds. Of course I'd never dwell into someone's mind without their permission. I can only hear surface thoughts usually," calmly explained the professor in front of her.

"Oh... That's so cool," Amelia couldn't help it, a nervous smile lit her face, yet it was full of mirth and excitement just as it was full of anxiousness.

"That means your mutation mister Hank is a physical one right?" the girl turned her head towards the blue haired man, fidgetingslightly in eagerness. He answered with a smile of his own, her acceptance and enthusiasm was refreshing.

"Yes that's correct. And if I'm guessing correctly, you also have powers of your own, Miss Amelia?"

"Mhm. They're daddy's powers. He gave them to me when he um-"she stopped herself short, unable to voice the hundreds of different memories of that dreadful day.

"… _when he had to_ and it's cool. I also have a voice in my head that daddy gave me too. Oh and mommy said I was born with some stuff from her," the little girl babbled in excitement, stumbling slightly over the part about her dad. She swiped strands of her hair away from her head and turned it so the two men behind the desk could see the spear-like ears and gills behind them.

"I don't think my brother mentioned it when he last saw you but his wife was born in Atlantis. Some Atlanteans have gills, some don't, but all of them have heightened senses, enhanced strength and speed and some other abilities that I don't know of," Uncle Robbie took over to explain that part, so that the two professors understood that she wasn't born a mutant.

"I see. I wasn't aware that Richard could transfer his powers," Hank stated, looking in question towards the dead man's brother.

"That's how he got his powers in the first place. An _alien_ transferred him their powers and now he somehow managed to do the same to his daughter," turning towards the girl in question, he took a deep breath before continuing.

"Namorita already taught Amelia how to control her abilities. But with her new powers on top of that, she has gotten much stronger and I don't know how to help my niece," the brown haired man looked at Charles and Hank with pleading eyes.

"A lot has happened and Amelia needs both a therapist and someone that will help her with how to control her powers. The only person that I could think of that wouldn't take advantage of her was you Professor Xavier."

There was a poignant pause in the room while everyone digested all the information. It wasn't long before Charles turned towards Amelia.

"Would you like me to help you Amelia?" Once again the little girl was surprised at the behaviour from these men. He was giving her a choice, even though he knew she didn't trust him. She could take advantage of it and consider his offer, since he was giving her a choice, after all. She needed to think about it.

Worldmind helped her where he could but he neither had a body nor did they have a safe space where they could practice. It was also dangerous to be seen by the neighbours since enhanced people were feared just as mutants were, and she wasn't going to risk it.

_Hey you grumpy computer, what do you think?_

"**I believe you should accept their help. I remember these men from when I was in your father. Richard trusted them with his life, I'm confident you can, too."**

_M'kay... I trust your judgement buddy._

Ignoring the grumbles about not calling him _buddy_, Amelia Rider averted her gaze from the floor where she was staring at, towards the three men in front of her. She knew her uncle trusted these men but it was nice to know Worldmind did too.

She looked up at her uncle, he was identical to her father, his warm blue eyes and chestnut brown hair; it was reassuring in a sense. There was much of it behind his look, the tenderness and the consolation, it was as though he was telling her she would be alright no matter what happened, no matter what she chose.

And with that her mind was made up.

"Yes, please. I'd like your help."

* * *

Happy New Year! I hope you all have a wonderful year!


	4. Chapter 4

**_August 5_****_th_****_, 1999_**

It had been a couple of weeks since Amelia Rider arrived at Xavier's institute. Fortunately, it had only been Professor Xavier, Hank McCoy and herself in the huge mansion. The child wasn't ready to interact with any more people just yet. Although, seeing her god-brother soon enough would be nice, but she understood that he was busy and not in the US currently_._

A fellow professor, and a friend of the two men, was on his way back earlier than expected. The young girl was anxious about meeting another new person, however, Worldmind was there to reassure her.

While staying at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, she learned a lot of things and was taught how to use her powers to a certain extent. She came to understand that the school was a safe haven to all mutants and to enhanced individuals that needed their help, especially the children.

Yet, the most enigmatic aspect of the school didn't lie within its lofty architecture, nor the pillars that held its manor house, but rather; _the X-Men,_ a group of highly eccentric figures who were just as strange as the rumours that surrounded them. They were a force to be reckoned with, if the gossip about them were anything to go on. She didn't know what to believe, Amelia had never laid eyes upon them, yet she wondered what they must have looked like and unfortunately Worldmind couldn't find anything on them in any database he could access.

_Do they wear uniforms? _

She pondered what could have distinguished them from the others here.

The longer she found herself inhabiting this place, the more she found herself gradually integrating into her new life, and for a mere fleeting moment, she _almost_ felt normal, as normal as one can be in this world. She picked up tricks and advice from Hank and his stories about his students, she eventually found out from him how the students called the school; the _X-Mansion_. She didn't seem to get the joke at first as it passed utterly over her head, but when it eventually dawned on her, she couldn't stifle her laugh.

It was interesting how a backwater planet like Earth had so many enhanced individuals.

Mutants were humans born with a mutated gene that Hank liked to refer to as _the X-Gene_. Unlike those whose physiology were enhanced through human experimentation, creating the likes of Captain America. As opposed to magic users; humans that were experimented by the Celestials, the Atlanteans... So many powerful individuals on a planet that the vast majority of creatures in the universe deemed a poor planet with outdated technology.

_Oh how wrong they are. _

Amelia didn't doubt that at some point, they would come to regret underestimating these humans, just as her godfather did once he met her father.

Then, on the opposite end of the spectrum, were people whose enhanced powers were owed to technologically developed suits, suits that were far advanced compared to the mainstream gadgets everyone used on Earth. She could only think of the one her dad had mentioned, that mister Hank used before his wife died.

_What was it again? _

She racked her brain over and over, scavenged the deep corners of her mind but to no avail, she couldn't quite remember the nickname.

**"Ant-Man, was the alias he went by. And his wife as the Wasp."**

_Oh, that's right. Sounds pretty cool, _Amelia marvelled. _Wait, Miss Janet also had a suit? Did she die on a mission?_

**"Yes, she did. You weren't even born yet when she died."**

_I guess I understand now why Hope looks so sad when I see her at her house. Plus being at boarding school… she's probably lonely too..._

The nine-year-old couldn't help but think of her much older friend. Maybe she would be able to see her soon, once she learned how to control her powers completely.

Which brought her to what she was currently doing.

The brunette was sitting in the garden of the school, relaxing during the small break she had. She enjoyed the routine she had in the X-Mansion. Waking up every morning may have been hard at first but as the days went by it became easier. As soon as breakfast was done, Amelia would go to Professor Xavier's office and they would hold a therapy session. It often started off with her talking about the progress she was making in her training but it soon dwelled into her nightmares and issues. The telepath was a huge help, when she couldn't muster up the courage to say what she was feeling, he was already reading it off the tip of her tongue. He was very understanding, never pushed unless necessary and it wasn't hard to open up to him. After her session, she would join Hank in the gym where she would stretch and spar against the blue haired man.

_Professor X and Beast. Very fitting monikers._

Professor Charles Xavier and Doctor Henry "Hank" McCoy, she would have never expected two such peculiar individuals to be the ones that made her day-to-day life a bit more bearable.

The spars helped a lot now. At the beginning of her training, it was much too dangerous to spar against Hank, in his stead, they had her use the _Danger Room _and fight against simulations. With Worldmind's aid she got used to her newfound strength in no time. It helped that she had went through similar training already with her mother once upon a time, giving her a somewhat skilled- yet limited- background knowledge on what to do.

Sparring with Hank was fun. He always pushed her to try her best and never held back too much. Luckily, he could withstand quite a lot by virtue of his durability.

And after every sparring session, they would talk about all sorts of subjects, like all the different planets she visited with her parents and god-father. In return, he talked about his college days, his students and fellow professors as well as some adventures he had as part of the X-Men.

After that, it was back to the Danger Room for target practice and that was the sole time for only her and Worldmind to truly let loose. Learning to utilize the Nova Force in so many ways.

Her speed nearly outmatched The Flash himself.

The only thing she couldn't grasp fully of was flying, or by technical definition; _gravimetric flight _was a feat she couldn't attain.

The young girl couldn't comprehend why she just _couldn't _fly, but the professors hypothesized that it must have been setback from the mental trauma she had endured, and if such was the case, she needed to overcome the cognitive block by herself.

After target practice and simply learning to use the Nova Force in general, Amelia would sit in the garden and meditate or just relax by feeding the ducks in the pond, depending on her mood. She would then head back inside to dine, before making her way to bed.

What worried the professors at the start was how she never seemed to have an appetite, and yet she was as well as any healthy child of her age, if the girl was being honest with herself. But her protests never deterred them, as always, Worldmind was there to reassure her as well as the two X-Men.

It would seem that holding any portion of the Nova Force reduces need for food and water, and considering she held the entire Nova Force inside of her, it made sense that she simply wouldn't eat as much as other humans.

With the responsibility of carrying the Nova Force, came the powers within; flight, super-speed, superhuman strength, a healing factor, energy generation among other characteristics Worldmind had told her, but by that time, she had started tuning him out when his talks shifted to disciplinary rants. She rather preferred to learn all about of her abilities through training.

All of which excluding her Atlantean abilities.

_No wonder Uncle Robbie was so worried about me._

Despite all the progress she had made since arriving here, she missed her family so much.

It was also one of the topics she talked to Charles about. It took a while for her to open up about her parents and talk about the_ incident_, but she did eventually- even if it was a microscopic view into how she really felt. Talking about the rest of her family was somewhat easier.

Uncle Robbie worked a lot but he was already planning ahead on lowering his workload. He wanted to spend time with her, raise her as her father would have, therefore, continuing down the road he was just wouldn't do anymore. Being a workaholic, was no longer an option in his mind. And she loved him for it, appreciated the magnitude of his gesture even if she couldn't fully comprehend it.

Uncle Namor was busy- as always- running his country but he promised her that the next summer break, before school started for another year, she was welcome to spend it in Atlantis with him. He may have been young but it was so obvious in her eyes that her uncle was a wonderful king.

Although, she was likely biased seeing that she was his niece after all.

Her god-brother was out of the country currently but as soon as he was back, he was going to whisk her away to Disneyland, per her request. You would think a man in his twenties wouldn't be thrilled in taking his little nine year old god-sister to Disneyland but no one ever said Tony Stark was normal.

Her godfather, on the other hand, occasionally called her on her little communication device that he gave her a year ago and ever since, they would talk all night before she fell asleep. He was currently staying on another planet so he wouldn't be able to visit until school started but she didn't mind. She didn't know exactly what his business was leaving Rad-Nam and when asked about it, the blond haired man gave a very vague answer. Something about a Mad Titan coming and messing things up. Whatever that meant.

She hadn't talked to mister Hank or Hope or anyone else for that matter. She wasn't ready to face the world yet. Her close immediate family were the only ones she wanted to talk to right now.

The spikey eared girl heard unknown footsteps coming towards her and she _knew _it wasn't Hank, his footsteps were lighter. These were heavy, daunting and in a moment of panic, she put up her guard. Whipping her head around when the person was behind her, she was met with a muscled chest. Moving her head upwards, she was met with a pair of cold eyes and a scowl painted across the man's face, the young girl noticed the black leather jacket and crossed arms at first and then the odd hair and cigar hanging from the man's mouth.

She couldn't help but notice how his hair reminded her of a duck's butt with two tails. That thought in itself caused a giggle to escape her lips and the moment it did, she had to slap her hands over her mouth to silence the fit of laughter threatening to erupt.

_"Somethin' funny shrimp?"_ his husky voice demanded, the man was of average height but standing before the bench she was sitting on, he seemed larger than life.

"Your hair looks funny," the brunette blurted out, without second thought. Her bluntness appeared to amuse him as he raised a brow quizzically.

"What's your name?" the stranger asked while taking a seat next to her on the bench. He had a rough voice, almost as rough as gravel, but he didn't seem bad, the way he looked at her wasn't that of a madman, in fact it was a soft look.

"My name is Amelia, it's nice to meetcha," she couldn't resist the smile that lit up her face. It was a little easier now than it was before but the man before her just put her at ease somehow.

"Just call me Logan. None of the mister crap," the girl couldn't help but blink at the curse word, she was taught to never be so crude. As she was about to comment on it, she remembered something.

"Are you the professor that was coming back early?" she tilted her head in question.

"Yeah I am, but I only teach the kids how to fight." was the simple answer and she hummed as a response before turning her gaze towards the pond in front of her.

"What about you, shrimp? What are you doing at the school during break?" after a moment of hesitation, the nine year old started explaining on why she was there, without going into too much detail. Logan listened to her without interrupting before asking her if she wanted to train with him from now on, too.

It surprised her but she readily accepted the help. It would be more fun to spar against more than one opponent after all.

They talked a bit more and she learned that he was from Canada, and in exchange, she told him a bit about her Atlantean heritage. It was so refreshing to just talk to someone about unimportant things and this man in front of her was nice... gruff and crass but nice.

It was nearing dinner time so they went towards the cafeteria to eat, walking in a comfortable silence.

That was before the girl with gills behind her ears asked the man what his favourite ice cream was. Which caused an argument about which flavour was better. Clearly strawberry ice cream was better than chocolate but _he disagreed strongly._

That was how Hank saw them entering the cafeteria. It shocked the man how Logan was talking to the girl. He was never so easy-going with someone, except perhaps with Charles but he was happy the two found each other. The blue-furred man noticed Amelia was getting lonely in such a huge mansion with only two people constantly around her, so seeing her with a beaming smile on her face was a nice change. Two lonely souls always managed to find each other.

Dinner was the same as always with the addition of Logan. Talks about the changes to her training that will be implemented was the only topic to have left the table. They wanted to help her as much as they could before she left and she appreciated it a lot.

While lying in bed the girl couldn't help but think back on the bald man's offer. To join the school instead of going to a regular one. It was tempting but she couldn't do it. She wanted to live with her uncle and see the other men in her family regularly and she couldn't do that if she was constantly living in the X-mansion. So, she refused the offer but did ask the telepath if she could visit from time to time and fortunately the man warmly agreed.

"_You'll always have a place here,_" was what he had said to her that night, and it nearly made her cry.


	5. Chapter 5

_**August 12**__**th**__**, 1999**_

"So most mutant develop their powers at the age of 11?"

"Usually yes, but they can manifest them later or earlier in life. It depends on various circumstances."

"Like what?" Inquisitive brown eyes stared at the man sitting across from her.

"Well for example, if something traumatic happens then it can cause the mutation to activate. It also depends on the kind of mutation," two clawed fingers slowly and carefully removed a piece from the tower.

"Yeah, you explained all the categories of mutations... What was it like for you? You mentioned once that you showed signs of mutation since birth so it must have been hard to hide it," small but steady hands removed a piece from the bottom of the slowly tipping Jenga tower.

"It wasn't for a while, to be frank. I was part of the football team while at Bard College and hid in plain sight. You see my mutation wasn't as obvious. I had no fur or claws or fangs, all I had were large hands and feet, enhanced strength and agility. But I was outted as a mutant and asked to leave the college. Luckily the Professor contacted me and offered me the chance to finish my undergraduate at this very school," while the blue haired man was recounting his story, his claws were gently and slowly taking out a Jenga piece from the centre of the tower. As soon as the piece was out, the tower tilted until it resembled the leaning tower of Pisa.

"So how did you get your fur?" she blurted out without thinking. A bead sweat ran down the side of the pointy-eared girl's face as she concentrated on removing another piece from the middle. After almost two weeks, Amelia had gotten close to her guardians at the institute. She and Hank often had conversations about their lives and experiences. Even though she had only lived a mere nine years, the blue haired man was interested in her life and stories. It was refreshing to talk to someone that didn't treat her like glass. _Which, truthfully, neither the Professor nor Logan did._

Amelia Korra Rider grew to love these three men so easily it was kind of shocking.

She didn't want to lose them like she los-

A deep chuckle drew her away from her spiralling dark thoughts.

"Well, that is a long story little one."

"I'm a good listener and we have time," she pleaded, "ple-eease?" Her wide puppy eyes implored him, as hands gestured towards the Jenga tower that Hank was staring at, thinking of which piece to remove next. The smile on the mutant's face never falling as he took out a piece from the bottom. The tower shook slightly but didn't fall over.

As she contemplated the tower, Hank started explaining the origin of his peculiar characteristics.

"After I finished my undergraduate studies, I decided to further my knowledge. I have 6 PhDs at this moment-"

"_That's amazing!"_ came the excited squeal of the nine-year-old, her jerking hand had sent the falling tower down and proclaimed the clawed man the winner.

There was a shocked silence before a giggle escaped the half-Atlantean's mouth and soon both of them burst out laughing at the unexpected end to their game. Looking at the clock, the mutant noted that their game had been going on for at least an hour, which- considering how tall the tower was- wasn't a surprise.

"As I was saying, after gaining my last PhD, I was offered the position as a genetic researcher. Long story short, I was doing research into mutations and I overheard one of my colleagues talking about how he was planning to steal my serum for his own research. I burned all my papers and drank the only vial of the serum. It was the catalyst of my second mutation and well-" the man spread his arms wide as in 'this-is-the-result' kind of way_._

"That was mean," the girl in question had the most unimpressed look on her face that Hank had ever seen on a child and he barely smothered the laugh that escaped his lips.

"Yes, stealing other people's work is very mean. But I must admit it was reckless of me to just drink the serum and not pay attention to the time. Because of that, I didn't drink the antidote within the hour and made this second mutation permanent."

Looking at the blue-eyed man in front of her, Amelia couldn't help but admire how calm he is. He looked...

"**Content is the word you're looking for. He accepted the consequences and has moved on with his life." **

It was a testament to how accustomed the young brunette had gotten to the voice in her head, so much so that she didn't even twitch in surprise when he would suddenly inserted himself in the conversation. Or rather, her thoughts. She just hummed in acknowledgement and continued examining the beast in front of her, while started cleaning up all the Jenga pieces and returned them to the box.

Ever since she came to Xavier's Mansion, Hank was the most open person to talk to, the easiest to interact with. With Charles there was always a professional aspect to their talks, since he was her therapist, though on occasions, he would share some details about his life outside of their sessions. Usually, while he was giving her advice about her powers after training in the Danger Room. Such as how he had a friend once upon a time, a friend named Erik that had a very powerful mutation and it took him years before he mastered it.

Logan never said much about his past - mostly because he didn't remember it. _Now that _was an interesting revelation. Mind you, she never asked but after she mentioned how her mom once lost her memory after fighting alongside her uncle against an enemy, Logan simply responded _'know what that's like, glad that at least your mom got her memory back'._ It wasn't hard to figure out what he meant but the Amelia didn't quite catch it until Worldmind explained it – much to her embarrassment.

Hank on the other hand was always open to her. He always talked about his life and never shied away from questions – unless they had to do with _things that children shouldn't know about_.

Bleh, it was annoying being out of the loop. But she could deal with it for now.

_I'll find out one day what he meant by 'her parents must have had a lot of fun making her'. She had merely mentioned that her mom had chains in her closet, why Hank and Logan thought that had anything to do with her was confusing, although they looked close to panicking when she questioned them..._

The doctor also never shied away from asking her questions and the young girl found out that she didn't mind answering truthfully to him either.

"Do you ever regret it?" Cobalt blue eyes snapped from the recently closed box of Jenga towards curious almond-shaped orbs.

"Hm? Do I regret what?" his husky voice answered in return. Pointy ears burned scarlet-red in embarrassment and Amelia hesitated. But, _it was Hank _and he always appreciated honesty.

"Do you regret taking the serum and causing your second mutation?"

A pause and a thoughtful look crossed the twenty-six-year-old's face.

"I did at the beginning but... I accepted it soon after it happened. I had Charles and the rest of the X-Men by my side and they helped me accept my new appearance and abilities. So no, I don't regret taking the serum - not anymore." There was a genuine smile on the man's lips as he said that and the little girl couldn't help but beam in happiness. She hated seeing her close friends feeling downcast.

"Now why don't you tell me about one of your crafty adventures with your godbrother?"

_**August 17**__**th**__**, 1999**_

It was 7 P.M. and Amelia was exhausted.

Logan decided to randomly test her reflexes in the Danger Room, so he expanded the stage and sent all kinds of objects flying at her. From robots flinging rubble, all the way to lasers being shot from the walls.

It was hell.

Worldmind had been laughing at her disastrous plight since the beginning.

_How do I give him the middle finger in my head?_

If her mother found out she was flipping off people, she would be punished and the blonde woman would have surely blamed her father. Unbeknownst to her that her little hellion had seen her give the finger to uncle Mar-Vell once hetold her to stop buying chocolate because he was getting fat.

The thought of her beautiful mother always brought on a special kind of pain, right in her heart.

But it wasn't as all-consuming as it was at the beginning. There was still lingering pain but this time, the ghost of genuine smile stretched her thin lips at the happy memory of her mother and uncle arguing over sweets.

A hand landing on her head brought her out of her melancholic thoughts and the girl immediately knew it was Logan's.

Looking up she noted he had a cigar in his mouth, not yet lit, as his light brown eyes were inquiring while looking down at her own dark-chocolate ones.

"You okay, shrimp?"

"Yeah…" she paused, gathering her strength, "just remembering my mom."

He hummed in response and she knew that he would listen if she wanted to talk. _He always listens_.

"You know, my mom always joked about how my dad probably loved my godfather more than her," were the only words that came out in that eventual statement, she sniffed as her eyes watered in remembrance. The youngest Rider felt an arm wrap around her shoulders in comfort. The Canadian had a calming presence around him whenever she talked about her past and she hoped he found comfort in her whenever the topic of his past came up.

The two were sitting in the teacher's lounge on the couch, still deciding on what movie to watch. She wanted to watch Mulan and he didn't want to watch a cartoon.

_Well, __you__ should suck it up because we're watching Mulan._

"Your dad and godfather that close?"

"Yeah, it was embarrassing watching them interact in public sometimes... In those times, mom and I acted like we didn't know them," she couldn't hold back the giggle while the feral mutant chuckled in amusement. It was nice remembering the good stuff, even if it was embarrassing.

"Has the Professor managed to help you recover some of the memories?" Amelia asked hesitantly.

"Nah, just some flashes."

"That sucks."

"Tell me about it," came the huffed out response.

Logan wouldn't have expected talking to a child so easily but then again, traumatised children always grew up faster. It was a shame how a child's light could be snuffed in a blink, so the man was always content when he saw the childish wonder in Amelia's eyes. He remembered the first time he saw it, it was three days after coming back to the X-Mansion and it had been his first spar with the shrimp. He wouldn't usually use his claws in spars, as to not hurt the kids, but learning that the elfin girl's skin _couldn't be penetrated at all _made him pop them out. She squealed in delight, that light, a child's wonder, twinkling in her eyes when she saw his claws.

It wasn't often that he got those kinds of looks from people, nothing other than fear; fear and dread.

But not her.

And it was refreshing.

While Logan was deep in thought, Amelia took her chance and popped the movie in and soon enough Mulan was starting and all the feral man could do was grumble and take a handful of popcorn from the bowl.

They watched the movie in a comfortable silence – interrupted by the nine-year-olds singing – and soon fell asleep on the couch. The small girl curled up by the larger man's side.

Neither had nightmares that night.

_**August 20**__**th**__**, 1999**_

It was Amelia and Charles' last session.

She would be leaving the very next day and she was truly going to miss this place. Especially the three men that helped heal her broken heart.

"How do you feel now?" it was a simple question, rather cliché but it didn't need to be a deep and philosophical answer.

They already did that.

This was the end.

"I'm feeling... better. Much better than when I first came here."

"And how do you feel about living with your uncle again?"

A pause ensued as she contemplated how to answer.

"At the beginning I just kept seeing my dad when I looked at Uncle Robbie. While they may have different eye colours, they still look alike and I-" the hesitation was clear but there was no fear. In this office, during these sessions, there was only trust and warmth.

"It's easier now. I know it. Last time he visited I only saw him, I didn't see my dad's face at all." With a smile, the half-Atlantean couldn't be prouder of her achievement. She loved her new guardian and she truly couldn't wait to live with him.

The telepath hummed while watching the young girl in front of him. The smile she had lit up her entire face, no matter how small it was. He was glad that he was able to help the child in front of him.

"And what will you be doing once you go back home?"

"Well, tomorrow I'm just gonna spend time with uncle Robbie but the day after Tony's coming to pick me up and take me to Disneyland for a week!" The thrilling answer brought a chuckle out of the bald man's lips.

"And after that, is it not time for you to go to school?"

"Yeah... Speaking of which, what's Earth school like?"

Amelia had never attended school on Earth or any other planet for that matter. She was home-schooled for the most part. When her family travelled the universe in their spaceship, her mom and Worldmind taught her everything she needed to know. They followed Earth's curriculum but added Atlantean classes, teaching her about her lineage as well and some other stuff about Xandar and other galaxies.

Her dad only finished high school so he never tried educating her, however, he did teach her how to throw a proper punch.

And he made sure to teach her as much as he could about certain races and their histories.

Starting school on Earth, where a bunch of people would intrude on her life, didn't appeal to the young girl. Unfortunately, it wasn't her choice.

"You will find out for yourself, all experiences are different." Amelia couldn't help but groan at the vague non-answer which prompted another chuckle from the Professor's lips.

He may have been a telepath but he only read her mind when they discussed serious topics. Even then, he never dwelled deep, always being respectful of both her and Worldmind.

There was a comfortable silence between the two individuals, no need for words when everything that needed to be said had already been said.

Except...

_Will I be able to visit whenever?_

The Rider knew that he answered that question before, but she couldn't help that it popped into her head again.

"Yes," her eyes snapped back up and locked with warm blue eyes.

"You will always have a place here. If you wish to meet the students or other professors, or even if you wish to speak to Hank, Logan or I, you are always welcome to stop by."

Overwhelming emotions of reassurance washed over her, eliciting tears from her doe eyes. Staring at Charles Xavier's sky blue ones, Amelia couldn't help but think: _This feels like home._

* * *

**Exam's are finished and the semester started so I'll have more time to write now :)**  
**Thank you for your patience, I hope you like it!**  
**Reviews are appreciated :D**


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